


Valkyrie has a Gun

by sclibrarygirl



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 00:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18000398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sclibrarygirl/pseuds/sclibrarygirl
Summary: What happens when Valkyrie is haunted by her past of Darquesse?Short storyInspired by Janie's Got a Gun by Aerosmith





	1. Pain and Rain

I hung there, pain coursing through my bones. I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take. And I had taken a lot before. But this was different. This wasn't just pain and torture. This was betrayal and confusion mixed with a dying need to know why. 

"Please," I whispered to the darkness in front of me. "I don't know what you want." 

Searing agony was the darkness' reply. Something hot was burning into my arms that hung above my head. I had long ago given up trying to be strong and witty. Now screams gave away the pain that I was feeling. I could not hold it in any longer. After what seemed like an eternity of melting bones, the darkness relented and my screams stopped. Instead I was breathing hard even though I had no lungs with which to fill. Old human habits die hard. Silence filled the air around me and I could hear the sound of rain falling. I think I would miss that sound. That calm soothing rain drumming on the roof of our house. Watching her eyes widen at the chance to dance wildly in the rain. Laying next to her, hearing her breathing match the rhythm of the rain as she slept. Yes all of my random thoughts eventually lead back to her. Valkyrie. I needed to get out of here. 

"Hey." The darkness felt tense, like it was not expecting me to still have the strength to talk. 

"Look I know that we have been through alot tonight....more so me than you. However as much fun as this is, I have to get home. I have a beautiful wife at home waiting for me." A fist came flying from the darkness and hit me square across the jaw. 

"Don't you talk about her!" a voice snarled. "You don't get to talk about her." My body quaked from the blow and I really hoped I was not about to pass out. "What?" I asked. "What do you mean? How do you know my wife?" Another body aching punch, this time aimed at my ribs. I winced as I heard them crack and felt the searing pain race up my body. 

"You corrupted her! Turned her into a monster!!" I shook my head, noting how totally unwise the action was as my head throbbed in response. "What are you talking about? Valkyrie? She is not a monster." The darkness raged with anger at my response. "Not a monster?! I saw what she did last summer! I was there!!! When she tore the city apart!!!" 

Through the throbbing pain in my head, I could hear the sadness and despair in the voice. "That was an accident," I whispered. I could still clearly remember that summer. It would never leave me....


	2. Gloom and Doom

"Valkyrie hurry up!" I called up the stairs. "We still have to meet with Wreath to talk about runes and protections and other incredibly boring and dull death related issues......what joy...." I muttered my voice trailing off. 

Her laughter rang out. "Don't sound so happy about it, Skul. Someone will think that you are starting to like Wreath and runes and dead boring stuff," she sound as she bounced down the stairs and landed next to me. I tilted my head at her, aware that even though I wasn't wearing my disguise, she could still note the annoyance in my mannerisms. Valkyrie was grinning widely at me so the annoyance was dissipating even as I gruffly said, "Let's go." 

We walked out of Gordon's house and got into my beautiful Bentley. 

"Skulduggery stop staring at the car like that." 

"Why?" I asked getting in and starting the car. "Are you jealous?" I saw her face turn bright red and she said, "No. It is just plain creepy and unnatural." I clicked my features on and looked at with a raised eyebrow. 

"What about me is natural?" 

She shook her head and dug out her cellphone. "I am calling Wreath to let him know we are running a little late." 

"And while you are at it, tell him to stop being so damn optimistic. It wears me out." 

I heard her laugh next to me and then say, "Hello Wreath. Yes I know we are twenty minutes late." "Uh huh." "I don't think I should tell him that." "Because Wreath he may kill you and we really do need you alive." I laughed silently to myself. So I had annoyed Wreath today. Check one thing off of today's to-do list. 

She sighed loudly and hung up the phone. "Wreath is very upset with you and wants to call you many things but for the sake of his life I have decided not to tell you. Instead I will tell you that he is going to wait for another ten minutes before leaving. So please hurry up." Her voice changed from the playful attitude to one scared of something. 

I put my hand on her shoulder and said, "Valkyrie don't worry. We are going to find a way to help you control Darquesse." 

"I know," she replied her voice small. "I just don't want anything to happen. You know...the vision shows my parents getting hurt and stuff. And I don't want to hurt you. We have already seen how powerful Darquesse is." She looked up at me and I felt a pain in my chest as I saw the fear in her eyes. "I already hurt you once. I don't want to again." 

I pulled out of Gordon's driveway and said, "You won't hurt me. I won't let you. I will keep you safe Valkyrie. Just like I always have." "And always will," I thought as a smile spread across her face and the fear seemed to vanish even if it was just for a moment from her eyes.

....

"You are late detective." I smiled and said, "Hiya Wreath ole boy. What's shakin'?" I felt Valkyrie stare at me as we walked up the the old abandoned mental hospital. "What?" I asked. "Never do that again," she whispered. "You are embarrassing." 

"Pff I am never embarras......." 

I fell flat on my face in the dirt that made up the outside courtyard. I heard her laughing and jumped up, brushed the dirt off my coat and said, "I am never embarrassing. I am the epitome of gracefulness." 

Valkyrie was double over laughing so hard. "Hey epitome of gracefulness. You have dirt on your face." She made her way over to me, wiping the tears out of her eyes and grabbed a napkin out of her jacket. She wiped my face off and I saw a tenderness in her eyes....something.... 

Wreath's voice broke through the moment. "If you two are done making a fool of yourselves, I would like to hurry up and get this over with. I have an appointment elsewhere." We turned to Wreath and walked over to him. He was standing in the doorway to the dark and gloomy hospital. 

"Nice choice for a location," I said. "It's quiet and creepy. Just perfect for you Wreath." He held up a envelope and said, "I have the information you requested." "Great! Thank you so much Wreath," Valkyrie said, reaching for the envelope. 

I looked at Wreath. "Hold on a minute Val," I said. "Something is not right." "What?" she asked, looking over at me. I narrowed my eyes and watched Wreath carefully. "We are not getting that for free are we?" I asked, gesturing to the envelope. 

Wreath smiled ruefully. "I am afraid I need to know why you want this information. This envelope contains powerful information on binding spells and Necromancy magic. Who do you plan on binding?"


	3. Hello my darling

Valkyrie and I didn't say a word. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hand twitch. She was preparing for a fight if need be. I needed to get control of the situation before anything got out of hand. 

"Now now Wreath," I said genially. "Do you always tell us everything when you need information? No. Now you know how this works. Information and no questions asked. Let's just say that this information may lead you to have a long and happy life." 

Wreath's smile never left his face. "I am sorry skeleton. But in order for me to ensure a long and happy life, I have to have reassurance and knowledge. I like to try and control my own fate and not leave it in the hands of.....showoffs." 

"Look Wreath. You know us. You know that we would only use that information for the saving the world. We are looking for ways to hold back Darquesse," Valkyrie said. I heard her voice tremble at the sound of her true name. 

Wreath glanced over at Valkyrie and laughed. "Ah yes the fearsome Darquesse is the true villain and one we all seek to contain. Well maybe you two wish to contain her. I however would love to see her bring about the apocalypse. But there is one other thing...." Wreath looked over at me, a dark glint in his eyes. "I have been following your investigations into looking for Darquesse and I have reason to believe that you know who she is." 

"Crap," I thought. I looked over at Valkyrie and saw her eyes were wild with fear. 

"Look Wreath we may know who Darquesse is. But we may not. See we are detectives and we are constantly looking for clues. And right now all of our clues don't add up and so we are still not sure who Darquesse really is. Now can we have our information please? We have places to be too and I am sure you have other people to bully," I said. 

Wreath sighed and tucked the envelope back into his jacket. He gripped his cane and glanced at us. 

"I was hoping to not have to do this but you leave me no choice detective." 

He pulled his cane up and brought it back down hard, making a loud clack. Swarms of shadows piled out and snaked towards us. I clicked my fingers and threw fireballs at Wreath. His shadows curled around him and snuffed out the flames. I glanced over to Valkyrie and saw that she had avoided the shadows on the ground and started forming shadow daggers in her fists. "Shadow daggers," I noted. "When did she get that advance? It must be Darquesse." 

"We need that information Wreath," Valkyrie called out. "Stop this nonsense and just hand it over." 

Wreath's laughter rang out. "My former student do you really think that I am going to let you two stop the apocalypse? I have lived to serve a master as formidable as Darquesse and I will not let you two interfere in her destruction." 

Valkyrie froze. I pushed at the air, pushing myself away from the shadows and yelled, "Val? What are you doing?" 

"You think that you are worthy to serve Darquesse?" she asked, so quietly that I almost couldn't hear her. "You think that you who is afraid of death and sorrow is a willing candidate for serving Darquesse?" 

Wreath seemed confused by her questions. "Yes I am willing to serve Darquesse and I think that when she does come to power that she will find me a wonderful servant. But why do you want to know?" 

"Because," Valkyrie raised her head and I saw a fiery excitement in her eyes. "I am Darquesse." 

"Valkyrie!" I yelled. 

She turned her head to me and I shivered as her eyes seemed to burrow down in search for my soul. 

"Skeleton detective," she answered, her voice ringing with a childlike demeanor. "She is not here." 

I clicked my fingers together and poured magic into them, creating huge fireballs. 

"Oh hell yes she is," I replied. "And you are going to give her back now." 

A smile tugged at her lips. "As gallant and as sexy as ever my dear detective. No wonder she loves you." The cold shiver that had gone through me a moment earlier turned warm and reassuring. 

"Val," I whispered. 

Suddenly a pain on my left side broke the moment and I saw Darquesse' eyes light up with annoyance and anger. I stumbled back away from the shadows that were on my left trying to slice up my bones even more. I let my magic die and the fireballs dissipated. 

"Dammit Wreath," I cursed as I clutched my sliced bones. 

Wreath laughed. "Your guard was down Skulduggery." He looked over at Darquesse with a lustful look on his face and said, "My mistress. I am here to serve you." Darquesse rose off the ground and glided over to him. 

"You were saying that earlier weren't you?" she asked. 

Wreath nodded and bowed his head. "You are the one I have been waiting all my life for. I will do anything you ask." 

Darquesse's face gave a hint of amusement. "Anything?" she laughed. "I suppose I just ask and it shall be done. Is that what you are saying?" 

Wreath lifted his face and reached up to take Darquesse's hand. He kissed it and said, "Anything my dear." 

She looked down at him and said, "Only one thing I can think of." 

"Yes?" 

"Die." 

Wreath's shadows could not protect him fast enough. Darquesse flicked her hand at Wreath and fire consumed his body. No screaming. It had happened too quickly. 

"Valkyrie," I said. 

Darquesse turned to me. In the next second, she was face to face with me, her feet on the ground and reaching her hands out to me. I went to push her hands away but she clamped her hands on my side. I felt a searing pain in my side as my bones seemed to be melting under the heat of her hands. 

"Valkyrie stop this," I said as I struggled to move my arms. She laughed and leaned close to my head, her mouth next to where my ear should have been. 

"I already told you skeleton," she whispered softly. "She isn't here." 

The words seemed to suck the life out of me. I dropped to my knees and looked down at the ground. I felt cold. Life seemed to have no more meaning or seemed to matter anymore. I felt my hand take my gun out of my jacket and place it up the side of my head. Darquesse knelt down next to me and lifted up my head. 

"Yes skeleton. Just end it. What is the point of living anymore?" Darquesse's eyes were fiery and burning with excitement but all I could feel around me was a sense of lifelessness and meaningless pain. I felt myself cock the gun. "Did I really want to die," a small part of me screamed but it was quickly extinguished by the soft lulling voice of Darquesse who whispered, "She isn't coming back Skulduggery." 

My world stopped. I couldn't hear the sounds of the outside world anymore. Those words had killed me. My heart which I thought could not be broken anymore than it had already been by Serpine shattered. Vaguely through the fog, I felt my finger start to squeeze the trigger. I knew that shooting myself this way would sever my very fragile self and I would truly die this time. 

"End the pain detective. Stop the pain." 

I pulled the trigger. I felt myself jerk to the side from the force of the bullet and I fell to the ground just as I could hear a scream of sorrow. My vision was going black and I felt myself slipping away. The pain of losing her was easing. The need to live was no longer necessary. 

I saw Darquesse's face appear above my own. "She wants to make sure I am dead," I thought. But then something hit my face and rose me out of the fog of death. Darquesse was crying. Her beautiful face was twisted with agony and sorrow. And she was shouting at me. 

"Skulduggery!!!!!! STAY WITH ME!!! PLEASE!!!" 

I raised my arm up and tried to touch her face but the blackness was heavy. She saw the struggle and grabbed my hand putting it to her face. 

"Darquesse why are you crying?" I asked. 

Her expression seemed hurt and she leaned down close to my face and said, "It's me Skulduggery. Valkyrie." And she kissed me. 

Suddenly I wanted to live. More than anything but the momentary burst of willingness to live was not going to be enough. I found it hard to concentrate on her face. My hand was way too heavy. Just as the blackness was closing in, I saw her hands come down on my chest and I felt a small warm nudge in my soul. It was trying to help my desire to live overcome the darkness. It seemed to me the darkness was winning....


	4. Need to live

"Skulduggery. Hey Skul?" 

Automatically I reached into my jacket trying to find my gun with my right hand and clicked my left hand into a flaming fireball. 

"AGH!!!! MY HAIR!!!!" 

I sat up and looked around. Fletcher was standing very far away from me, his hands on his hair that was so full of hair gel just being around my fireball was very dangerous to his health. Ghastly was kneeling down next to me and Kenspeckle was next to me glaring at me like I had the gall to live. 

"Could you not set me on fire?!" Fletcher yelled. 

I extinguished the flame in my hand and tilted my head at Ghastly. 

"What is going on?" I asked. 

Ghastly looked concerned. "Uh that is what I was going to ask you," he said slowly. 

"Where is Valkyrie?" Kenspeckle demanded holding up his medical kit. "If you look this bad, she has got to be in need of immediate medical attention." 

"Valkyrie," I thought. "How do I explain this?" I looked over at the burning pile of Wreath's remains and said, "How did you know where to find us?" 

Ghastly held up his phone. "Valkyrie called me. She was hysterical. She kept screaming you were dead and that Darquesses was winning. I got this location out of her before the line went dead." 

I stood up and immediately felt a searing pain in my skull. 

"Whoa there detective," Kenspeckle said, jumping up to help steady me. "You look like you have been through the wringer." I looked down at my arms and could see blacked bones and tiny hairline cracks. "That's where Darquesse held my arms," I thought. There was also a green goo that was coating the bones. 

"Is this your work Kenspeckle?" I said pointing at my arms. 

"Yes of course it is. I am a doctor and no matter how much I hate you, I still can't stand to see someone in too much pain," he grumbled. 

I nodded. "How very generous of you." 

"Uh Skulduggery you still haven't answered Kenspeckle's question of where Valkyrie is?" Fletcher said. I looked back at him and that is when I saw it. 

"Well when were you guys going to mention that?" I said pointing at the smoking city behind him. 

Ghastly put his hand on my shoulder and said, "There are reports coming in that Darquesse is finally here and destroying the city." 

"So Darquesse must have pushed Valkyrie back after she thought I had died. Or maybe she made Valkyrie think that I died," I muttered. 

"What was that?" Ghastly asked. I looked at the three of them and realized that with Valkyrie/Darquesse destroying the city, they were bound to find out sooner or later. 

"Valkyrie is going to be ok guys. We just have to get her back from Darquesse." 

Fletcher's face grew grim. "Darquesse has Valkyrie?" I looked at him and realized he still loved her even though she had told me multiple times that she did not love him back. 

"Valkyrie is Darquesse," I said. I bent down and picked up my gun. Not looking at the others, I started to load the gun while talking. "She found out awhile back and told me one day. I told her that we would find a way to stop Darquesse from taking over and hurting anyone. We came here today to talk to Wreath but as you can see there..." I gestured over to Wreath's body. "Darquesse did not like Wreath...what a shocker. Anyways..." I looked up at everyone. "I told her that we would make sure that we would stop Darquesse. I failed in that promise to her." I put my gun back into my jacket. "I am not going to fail her again." 

Ghastly's face was calm and cool. He seemed to be upset and I was sure it was about the secret I had just told them all but he nodded and said, "We won't fail her." Kenspeckle and Fletcher on the other hand were exploding with anger and many expletives. 

"Skeleton!!!! I blame all of this on you!!!!" Kenspeckle shouted. Fletcher charged at me, anger on his face and tried to throw a punch. I easily dodged his attack and splayed my hands out and forced him back with the air. 

"This is all your fault Skulduggery!" Fletcher yelled. He vanished from in front of me. "She is in this mess because of you. You always get her into some kind of trouble then act like the hero while trying to rescue her!! You don't care about her!!" 

I whirled around and my fist caught his face as he tried to jump me from a mid air teleportation. My punch knocked him back and he fell hard onto the ground. I raced over and grabbed him by his shirt. 

"Skulduggery!" I heard Ghastly call out, but I didn't care. My voice was murderous. 

"I care for Valkyrie more than you could ever know," I said, putting my skull close to his face. "You will never know how much it hurts me to see her suffering like this. How I blame myself every waking moment for this pain that she is enduring." I clenched my hands tighter on his shirt. "She is alone out there right now and I am not able to help her, to comfort her, to give her the strength that she has always given me. And that makes me very angry right now. And you dare to tell me everything I already know and even accuse me of not caring about her?!" Fletcher's face was full of anger and I could see that he wanted to argue with me. "Don't you ever tell me that I don't care about her," I whispered. "I love that girl, more than you ever could!" I threw Fletcher to the ground and turned around and started walking toward the burning city. 

"Skulduggery!" I heard Ghastly run up next to me. 

"Not now Ghastly," I muttered. 

"Hey you are going to need the help getting her back," he said as we walked past the Bentley. "I figure as your closest friend I help you save the woman you love." I looked over at him and said, "Thanks Ghastly." He nodded. 

"Hey you two hooligans wait up." Kenspeckle came running over to us. "Don't you two dare to think that you could leave me behind when my favorite patient is probably in need of medical help." I caught a glimpse of Ghastly rolling his eyes. I nodded and said, "Absolutely professor. Just know that it is going to get dangerous though." I looked back to where we had left Fletcher but he was nowhere in sight. 

"He already flittered out of sight detective," Kenspeckle said. I sighed and turned back around. 

"Did he say anything?" Ghastly asked. 

"Come to think of it I heard a lot of profanity being used in conjunction with your name skeleton. Something about you better not get in his way," Kenspeckle chuckled. I sighed again as we continued making our way to the heart of the city. 

"He will never understand," I said.....


	5. Revelations

I was knocked from my recollection of that awful day by another blow to the head. 

"She destroyed so many people that day!" the voice screamed at me. "So many died and it is all your fault for tainting her, for making her this way!!" 

"Don't you think that thought doesn't cross through my head everyday?" I whispered. I could feel my captor freeze and knew he was listening. "I can see the pain in her eyes everyday. She knows what she did and she grieves everyday because of it. But she has become stronger, learning to forgive herself each day. She is by no means forgetting those people but..." my voice became louder. "She is doing her damndest every single day she is breathing to make sure no others die! She has dedicated her life to saving others!" The room was silent once again except for the sounds of rain on the roof. 

"Stephanie is already too far gone." 

"Stephanie?" I asked. "Her name is Valkyrie. I think you may have the wrong person." 

"No," the voice replied next to my ear. I tried to jerk away as a hand came out of the darkness and grabbed my neck. "She was Stephanie before she ever became that monster." 

"Who are you?" I asked, fear entering my voice for the first time tonight. A blinding light hit my eyes and illuminated the face of my captor. "You are her father," I whispered. Valkyrie's father was staring at me with a hatred I knew far too well. I was sure that was the same look I had given Serpine so long ago. His clothes were torn and matted with dirt and blood stains. 

"You are alive? Where have you been all this time? We have been looking for you!! She thought she had lost you!" I struggled against his hands that were on my neck. "You have been alive all this time and never tried to tell her you were ok?! She grieved for you!!!!" 

He released my neck. "I never wanted anything to do with her again! She is a monster, a killer!!! I saw what she did with my own eyes!!! I saw her kill her!!!" I felt a cold chill. 

"You were there?" I whispered. 

He looked at me with wild eyes full of hate and said poison coating his voice, "I saw it all and she never knew it!"...


	6. What is plan B again?

The city was burning as we quickly made our way through the masses of people trying to leave. "Professor! Ghastly! If we get separated, we will meet up at Catholic church downtown. If you see Darquesse, do not engage her by yourself. She is dangerous and we are not sure if Valkyrie can control her in any way. Let us know if you find her." 

"The same goes for you Skul," Ghastly said, looking at me with a knowing grimace. 

"Don't be the hero skeleton," Kenspeckle said gruffly. 

I nodded and said, "Yes. No heroics. Any questions?" They shook their heads and then they disappeared into the mass of hysteria that surrounded us. I looked around me. People were screaming and running. Fires were burning out of control. 

"Ok Darquesse you have successfully started the apocalypse," I muttered. "Now where are you?" 

It was very difficult to see as everyone was running around like crazy and knocking each other over. "I need to get to the rooftops and cross the city that way," I thought. I raced into an apartment building and made my way through the screaming people that were pouring down the stairwell. I reached the top and carefully scouted the city. Smoke was rising against the backdrop of the setting sun. 

"Valkyrie," I whispered, looking everywhere. "Send me a sign honey. Anything." 

An explosion rocked the building I was on. As I used the air to steady myself, I saw a fresh plume of smoke rise up from the right. The direction of the old waxworks museum. The very place I had first introduced Valkyrie into the world of magic. I pushed down on the air and rose up in the air, flying over the screaming crowds. No sense in trying to keep a low profile now. Darquesse was really messing things up for the magic community. 

"What am I going to do?" I thought. "How do I defeat one of the most powerful beings in existence?" Wreath had a pocketful of information on sealing techniques. Unfortunately those had been on his person when Darquesse had turned him into ashes. So time for plan B.....which was going to be.....What? 

I landed directly into the smoke, pushing the air around me to create a barrier from the outside world. Even if the damage was already done, I was still going to try and make China's job a little easier. Less eyes means less mind wipes later. I looked around me and found that despite the car alarms and screaming happening, there was an eerie silence. Another explosion went off in front of me. Debris flew through the air towards me. I swiped my hand through the air, creating razor sharp knives of air and sliced through the debris. As the pieces fell around me, a gust of hot boiling air slammed into me and threw me towards a building. I gritted my teeth and threw my hands out behind me and pushed the air against the building slowly my impact. It still hurt like hell though as I went crashing through the windows and sheetrock. I stopped hard, hitting a metal beam.

"Hell," I gasped out, feeling the pain burst through my spine. I bet it if I still had blood and lungs, I would be coughing up blood.

"Detective..."

"Crap," I thought.

"Can I have a minuted to realign my spine Darquesse?"

A figure walked towards me with a bright grin on her face.

"Why Detective you went through death and a building and you still have a sense of humor?" Darquesse walked over to me and put her hand on her hip. "You really don't disappoint."

"Well I try," I laughed hoarsely as I attempted to pull myself out of the hole in the wall. "I just never wanted to grow up and be disappointing." I stood up and brush the dust off my clothes nonchalantly. I hoped I was giving an air of indifference, but inside my body was screaming with pain. "How are things?" I asked.

Darquesse shrugged. "You know, death, destruction, the whole apocalypse bit. Things are good."

I nodded. "Glad to hear things are going well for you. However I am going to have to be the rain on your sunny day. I am afraid that death and destruction and this apocalypse bit is slightly illegal and just a wee bit depressing."

Darquesse frowned. "God she looks just like Valkyrie when she is pouting," I thought, feeling that pain in my chest again.

"But I was having fun," she whined.

I took out my gun and pointed it at Darquesse. "Usually a hero would say something here to the tune of 'Playtime's over' or 'Your time is up' but well you remember what I said don't you Valkyrie?"

Darquesse smiled again. "You said you are not a hero. And I told you Valkyrie isn't here anymore."


End file.
